To Get Home
by MilitarySister310
Summary: I stared at my husband from across the stage as we were told to shake hands. This couldn't be happening, I thought to myself. We were going into the Hunger Games together.
1. Chapter 1

**Karina and Alexander are both eighteen, and have been in a relationship for a number of years. What happens when they both get reaped in the 95th Hunger Games? Note: Peeta died in his games, Katniss was the only victor, and there was no rebellion.**

The morning of the reaping was like it was every other year, except this year, I woke up next to my husband. With a yawn, I glanced over at his still-sleeping form, and then turned to what had woken me up in the first place. In the corner of our bedroom was Rachael, our six-month-old daughter, who was crying. "Hey baby," I whispered, trying not to wake Alex up, as I gently lifted her into my arms and went out of the room.

I fixed her some formula and sat in a chair feeding her. Thanks to my mother being a victor from the Games twenty years ago, we could afford things others in our district couldn't. With a sigh, I finished feeding Rachael and put the bottle back in the fridge. As I was walking around the kitchen, the door opened.

"Morning love," Alex said, entering, with the smile that always seemed to be on his face when he saw Rachael and I. "How did you sleep?"

I shrugged, passing the baby to him after he sat down. "Alright, I suppose," I told him, getting cups down and filling one with water. "You?" He shrugged too, and was about to respond when my mother knocked on the door.

"Hey," She said. "I'm just popping by for a minute. Have you talked to your father this morning, Karina?" I shook my head, puzzled. My mother cursed under her breath. "I'll be going then," she said, leaving Alex and I staring at each other in confusion.

"What was that about?" I wondered out loud, absentmindedly playing with Alex's hair.

He raised his eyebrows. "How am I supposed to know? She's your mother, not mine." He took my hand and kissed it. "Speaking of mothers, we need to drop Rachael off at my mother's house before we have to be in the square."

I took Rachael from him as he stood. This was to be our last reaping. At eighteen, we had reached the end of the age limit, but that didn't mean we couldn't be picked still. In fact, we had a higher chance of being picked, unfortunately, thanks to our age.

Once we had dropped our daughter off at my mother in laws, we headed towards the District Square, where the reaping would take place. Alex and I made our way to the grouping of eighteen year olds, and stood, hand in hand. Neither of us had many friends. I had one, Helena Mellark, the only one who had stuck by my side during my pregnancy and after Rachael's birth. She greeted us now, giving us both hugs.

"You guys ready for this?" She questioned, brushing a strand of her blonde hair back behind her ear. "My father's been bugging me all night, about how I have to win if I get reaped. He's hated these games since my uncle…" she stopped talking. Helena's uncle had been in the same games as my mother. Unfortunately, he didn't make it out- he had been killed by an infection in his leg.

Alex and I nodded in understanding, before I glanced up at the stage. Effie Trinket, who had been our escort for many years, had finally been replaced. I didn't recognize the woman who sat in her seat now. Next to the woman were the only two living victors from District 12 – Haymitch Abernathy, who was an old man now, drunk most of his time, and my mother, Katniss Everdeen – Hawthorne. Beside her was our mayor, Gale Hawthorne, my father. My eyes drifted from him to the two large glass balls. I eyed the one for the females. My name was in there. Only seven times, but that's seven chances that my name would be pulled. I looked over at Alex, who was staring at the stage as well, his face pale. I took his hand in mine. "You okay?" I mouthed. He hesitated a second, then nodded.

"I'm fine," he mouthed back. I smiled at him and wrapped my arm around his waist as my father stood up on the stage. I only half paid attention as he went on about the history of Panem. It was a story I nearly had memorized. When he was done, the woman stood up, the woman he introduced as Judith Jay.

"Happy Hunger Games!" She said into the microphone, in a loud, cheerful voice. I tried not to wince at her bubbly ness. "And may the odds be ever in your favor." I tune out the rest of her speech, only tuning back in when she said, "Let's go with the boys first this year, shall we?" She reached into one of the glass bowls, and I held my breath. "Alexander Ryder."

I know I stopped breathing. The world grew fuzzy as my husband swallowed once, let go of my hand, and made his way up to the stage. "No…" I whispered. Nobody heard me except for Helena, who put her arm around my shoulder. "No…" How could no one hear my heart breaking? After a moment, I realized everybody in my area was staring at me. What had happened? Then I heard it.

"Is there a Karina Ryder here?" It was Judith. She was holding a small piece of paper, staring out into the crowd. "Miss Ryder?" In a daze, I walked up to the stage. "Welcome! You two must be brother and sister?"

I was aware of Alex shaking his head. "No. She's my wife." Silence filled the entire square. I felt dizzy, like I was about to pass out. The woman continued speaking, but the words had no meaning. I stared at my husband from across the stage as we were told to shake hands. This couldn't be happening, I thought to myself. We were going into the Hunger Games together. I took his hand in mine, and, before I could help myself, flung myself at him, sobbing.

Still in my daze, I was led inside the Justice Building, and into a room. I was left alone for a minute, before the door opened and my mother rushed in. "Karina," she said softly. I started sobbing again, and wrapped me in a hug. "Oh Karina… I don't know what to tell you, dear."

"I can't… I can't go into the games with Alex," I choked out. "Mom… You're a victor. Can't you do something? If we both go in, chances are Rachael will be left without parents. We can't do that to her."

My mom shook her head sadly. "There's nothing I can do," she said. "I'm so sorry." A peacekeeper entered, said that my mom's time was up. "I'll see you on the train. I'm your mentor this year." I nodded as she was led out. A second later, Helena entered.

She said nothing for a while, just wrapped me in a hug. Finally I pulled away, brushing away the last of my tears. "I don't know what to do." My voice came out quiet, cracked from crying. "I can't kill Alex. And I can't watch him die either. This has got to be the cruelest thing the Capital has done…"

"You'll be fine," Helena said. "You'll figure out a way. There always has to be a victor." She stopped as the peacekeeper entered. "I love you, Karina. You're my sister. You're strong. You'll make it." She left, and Pat walked in, carrying Rachael. I could tell she'd been crying, and I knew she had gone to see Alex first.

"I thought you might want to see… her… before…" the end of her sentence was cut off by tears. "You're my daughter," she said. "I don't know who to root for… You or Alex… I lose you, I lose my daughter, I lose him, and I lose my son… Try to get the both of you out." There were no more words spoken as I held my daughter to me, running a hand softly over the dark hair she had inherited from me. I kissed her on the top of the head when the peacekeeper came back in, and Pat had to leave.

"I love you," I whispered, both to my daughter and mother in law, as the door shut behind them. I was led out of the room, and saw Alex. His face, which had been pale earlier, was now completely white. The peacekeepers wouldn't let me near him. "Please," I begged, to the one standing next to me. "He's my husband." The man exchanged a glance with one of the others, who shrugged. He grunted, but moved aside. I rushed over to Alex and held him for a moment. The peacekeeper cleared his throat. When he spoke, he sounded apologetic.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But we have to keep going. We have a train to catch." I bit my lip, releasing him. I took his hand as we walked. At the train station, cameras were waiting for us. We waited as they took tons of photos of us, then boarded the train. We were informed that we each had a chamber with a bedroom, bathroom, and dressing area. We exchanged a glance.

"If it's all the same to you," Alex said quietly. "We'd like to share. We've been married for a year now. It won't make a difference. Judith looked nervous, and went to speak with our mentors. She came back, and gave us a short nod.

"Supper is in an hour. Please be on time." And then she left. Alex and I entered the bedroom. We sat down on the bed next to each other in silence.

After awhile, he spoke. "I don't think there's a way for me to make it out of the arena-," he said. I stared at him in horror and opened my mouth to speak, but he interrupted. "Karina, Rachael needs her mother. She needs you. Stop," he said, in a sharp tone as I protested. "You know it's true."

"She'll have my mother, and yours," I said softly. "She needs her father, too."

"Not as much as she needs you," he said. "I'm not going to live without you."

"I'm not going to live without you either," I snapped. We stared at each other for a second, then he sighed. "I'm sorry, Alex," I whispered. "I wish this didn't happen…"

"There's nothing to be sorry for, Karina," he told me. "Blame the capital if you're to blame anyone. They shouldn't do this every year."

"But they do, and we can't stop it," I said, lying back on the bed. Alex lay down next to me, and I restd my head on his chest. "We'll get out of it, somehow," I said, more to myself than him. "We've got to."

**Hope you enjoyed this story. Please leave reviews :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Karina and Alexander are both eighteen, and have been in a relationship for a number of years. What happens when they both get reaped in the 95th Hunger Games? Note: Peeta died in his games, Katniss was the only victor, and there was no rebellion.**

Chapter Two

Supper was silent. My mother looked like she had been crying, Haymitch had been drinking, and Judith was ignoring us all. Alex and I sat next to each other, saying nothing. We still hadn't decided what to do. Only one could survive. It was impossible to do otherwise. And in order for one of us to go home to Rachael, twenty-three teenagers would have to die. Twenty-three, including either Alex or me. The thought was horrifying, but true.

Once supper was finished, we went into another compartment to watch the recap of the reapings. Alex and I settled on the couch together, watching as the people were chosen. There were four that looked like they were twelve, and half looked younger than sixteen.

"Oh those poor kids," I heard my mom whisper, as a cute little blonde girl was chosen from District Six. "Oh Rue…" At the name, I knew my mom was no longer seeing the current girl on the screen – she was seeing the little girl she had had an alliance with in her games, the girl who had died in her arms. Finally, it came to District Twelve. I saw Alex get reaped, and I watched my reaction closely as my name was called. For a moment, I just stood there, absolutely no color in my face, until I realized it had been my name that was called. From where I sat now on the couch, it looked like I was drunk as I slowly walked up to the stage. Then there was the anthem of Panem, and the screen went black. I stood up, shaking.

"Karina?" my mother asked, looking at me worriedly.

"I…" The four of them were looking at me in concern. "Those kids… I can't kill them," I managed.

"It's kill or be killed," Haymitch said, in a gentle tone I had never heard him use before. "You and Alexander aren't just thinking of yourselves when you go into that arena, you're thinking of that baby girl of yours as well."

"That could be her in twelve years," I hissed, pointing at the blank screen, picturing that girl from District Six. "That could be Rachael getting reaped. Those children have parents that want their children to come home to them, how am I, a mother, supposed to keep them from that?"

"They're going to die some way or another," Alex said to me. "When's the last time a twelve year old won the games? You don't have to kill them, somebody else will."

"I hate the capital!" I blurted. My mother shot me a warning glance as Judith's eyebrows shot up. I stormed out of the compartment and into mine and Alex's room. I threw myself on the bed. I was acting like a child, but I couldn't help it. I wanted – no, I needed – to get home to my daughter, but in order to do so, my husband would have to die. I couldn't let that happen, either. It was then a thought struck me.

We were only allowed to bring in one token from the outside. I had already chosen mine – my engagement ring. I knew Alex was planning on bringing Rachael's picture, so we would have a reminder of what we were fighting – and probably killing – for.

There was no way he would be able to bring in his pain medicine. The gamemakers had never allowed any type of drugs into the arena, no matter what they were for. I didn't know how long Alex could go without it.

Several years ago, there had been in an accident in the mines. Alex had been trapped underneath the rubble for hours before they could dig him out, and by that time, irreparable damage had been done to his body. He was left covered in scars – scars that still hurt him. The one thing I couldn't stand was seeing him in pain, but it was inevitable. The pain medication he had only went so far, and without it the pain was unbearable for him.

Also, with the Games, there would be no slowly getting him off of the medicine. It would be instantaneous, an abrupt stop. When that happened, he would go through severe withdrawal.

I looked up when the door opened and Alex entered. "Are you okay?" He asked, sitting next to me on the bed. I closed my eyes, thinking about what would happen in the arena. "What are you thinking?"

"You," I said softly. "Without your medicine." Alex froze, then rubbed my back. "You can't bring it in the arena. How-"

"Hey," he whispered. "I'll be fine. I promise. I'm tough-" he hit his chest and fake coughed, and I laughed, trying not to cry.

The next day, we were sitting at a table in the dining car when my mother and Haymitch entered. "Good morning," my mom said, smiling at us. She sat down across from me. "We need to talk about what's going to happen." Alex and I exchanged a glance. "In a little while, we'll be pulling into the Capital. You'll be going straight to the Remake Center. Karina." She turned to me. "They'll be stripping you of most of your body hair," she said. I winced at the thought. "It will sting, but whatever they do, don't complain." I nodded, and she turned to Alex. "I'm warning you that your team will probably want to cover up your scars. Don't let them." My husband gave her a questioning look. "It's for the interviews. If the Capital notices your scars, they'll think you're a fighter."

"But-

"I know, Alex," she said. "But they don't. It can work for your benefit. We're going to try to get the two of you alive, just hold on and be patient." She shut her mouth as the train was plunged into darkness. "We'll be in the Capital in just a few minutes. Be ready."

**Here's chapter two. I know it's way shorter than the other one, but I felt that was the way to end it. Hope you enjoyed, and I hope you like this story so far! Please leave reviews!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Karina and Alexander are both eighteen, and have been in a relationship for a number of years. What happens when they both get reaped in the 95th Hunger Games? Note: Peeta died in his games, Katniss was the only victor, and there was no rebellion.**

Chapter Three

"Good afternoon, Karina Ryder," my stylist said, as he entered the room I had been sitting in, waiting for him. "My name is Craig, and as I'm sure you've already guessed, I'm to be your stylist while you're here, and if you win the Games, every year during the Games."

"Pleasure to meet you," I said quietly. He took a step back, eyeing me.

"So. The daughter of the Girl on Fire," he said, in a thoughtful voice. "There's so much we could do with you, using that to your advantage. Your mother got many sponsors. I don't want to copy her, exactly. But if we use something similar to fire..." I said nothing, biting the inside of my lip.

"Why do you look so worried?" he questioned, with a slight smile. "It won't hurt, I promise." He circled me, tapping a finger against his lips. "We could also use your marriage to your advantage. Not many tributes are married, and this is the first time the two tributes from a district were married to each other." He stopped circling and grinned. "Here's what we're going to do..."

An hour later, Alex and I were standing in our carriage. I wore a white wedding dress, with flames at the bottom, and he wore a black tux, also with flames. I squeezed his hand. He looked pale, like he had after the reapings.

"Are you okay?" I whispered to him. He shrugged, then winced. "Your shoulders?" He nodded, as Haymitch and my mother walked over to us.

"You look-" my mother hesitated, eyeing the wedding dress. "Beautiful," she settled with, as the Capital's anthem began to play. She brushed a strand of my hair aside. "Good luck," she whispered, as the carriages began to move. We continued holding hands, saying nothing, not moving, as the carriages went down the street and stopped in the City Circle. President Anali Snow rose from her seat and gave a quick speech, welcoming us to the Capital. With a jerk, the carriages began to move again.

We were brought into the training center, with the other tributes. As we stood in the area, I noticed other tributes were watching us. For what I was sure was the first time, there was complete silence in the room. Then we were led upstairs, to the penthouse, where Judith sat us down at the table.

"My job is to help get you sponsors, along with the help of your mother-" she looked at me, "-and Haymitch. Sponsors are the ones-"

"That can send us gifts while we're in the Arena, I know," I interrupted. "I'm sorry, but I'm really tired. Would you mind if I went to take a nap?" I had been feeling dizzy ever since we had arrived in the capital, and the dizziness had just turned into nausea. All I wanted to do was sleep. I was aware of Alex sending me an odd look, as Judith sighed.

"We can discuss this later, I suppose," she conceded, and then showed us to our room. "I'll call you for dinner," she said, before leaving.  
I sat down on the bed, face down. I could feel Alex slowly rubbing my back. "Are you okay?" he questioned. I shrugged.

"Don't know," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I just feel dizzy and nauseous. I guess it's nerves, because you know I don't get sick. The last time I felt like this was-" I stopped. Crap.

"Was...?" Alex pressed, as I sat up. Too quickly, because the world spun. I squeezed my eyes shut for a minute, and when I opened them, Alex was staring at me, concerned. "Kari? What's wrong?"

"Alex," I said slowly. "The last time I was sick was when I was pregnant with Rachael."

"Well..." He froze. "Crap." I started laughing hysterically, and he looked at me, a worried look in his eye. I knew I must look insane.

"Fuck the capital," I said in between my wild laughter. "Not only are they sending a married couple with a daughter into their damned arena, I might be pregnant too!" I went back to laughing.

The door opened, and my mother poked her head in. "Are you guys okay?" She asked, her gaze shifting from me to Alex and back again. "What's going on?"

I managed to calm myself. "Nothing really. Other than the fact I never get sick like this unless I'm pregnant, and I just realized I haven't had my monthly for more than two months."

My mother paled. "Follow me," she said authoritatively. I got up and followed her out of the room. "Judith, Karina and I are going to see one of the doctors. We'll return shortly." The other woman simply shrugged and waved us out.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we hurried down a long hallway. My mother didn't respond, instead just led me into a white walled room.

"Can we get a blood test done on Karina Ryder, please," My mother asked a woman behind a counter, completely ignoring me. The woman nodded.

I was led into yet another room, where they stuck a needle in my arm. My mother finally spoke once the man had left. "They do blood tests here, to find out if women are pregnant or not. It's usually done right before going into the arena, but the sooner we find out the better for us. It could give us an advantage."

"I don't-" I began, as the man came back and handed my mom a piece of paper again, and left. "Very talkative these people," I muttered. I reached for the paper, and scanned it. A lot of it didn't make sense, but one word stuck out. "Pregnant," I said, letting the paper fall to the floor. I was pregnant. This should be wonderful. Not.

**Well, here's chapter three. still not as long as the first one, but it's over a thousand words, which is good enough, and it seemed right to stop it here. Hope you enjoyed, and PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! I'll love you forever and ever! Not more than I love my soon to be husband, but still :D Haha. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Karina and Alexander are both eighteen, and have been in a relationship for a number of years. What happens when they both get reaped in the 95th Hunger Games? Note: Peeta died in his games, Katniss was the only victor, and there was no rebellion.**

Chapter Four

When we got back up to the floor, Alex, Judith, and Haymitch were seated around the table, talking quietly. They all looked up when we entered. "Anyone care to explain what's going on?" Haymitch asked, his voice slurring. "I'm their mentor too you know."

"Yes, we know, Haymitch," I said patiently, calm on the outside, but inside my mind was whirling. I had no idea how to deal with this. When I had become pregnant with Rachael, the only thing we had to do was get married. There was an entire set of rules for the games, and I wasn't sure how a baby would fit into them.

Alex looked at me. "You okay?" he mouthed. I shook my head slightly, silently telling him I would explain in privater. He got the hint and nodded, turning to Haymitch and Judith. "I think Karina and I should talk first. We'll be right out." They mumbled agreement, but the moment we left the room, I heard them start in on my mother. Once we were alone, he turned to me. "Well?"

At that moment, I made the decision to lie to him. I had already decided that he would be the one to get out of the arena - he deserved it more than I did. Once he was a victor, the capital might be able to do something about his pain, and he could live pain free for the first time. But if I told him I was pregnant, the only thing that would keep him alive would be me getting out, would be him protecting me. "No, I'm not pregnant. It was a false alarm. Must be the stress."

He eyed me for a second, then sighed. "Okay." I wondered if he really believed me. Probably not, but I had to do this. For him. He deserved it.

There was a knock on the door. "Alex, Haymitch wants to talk to you about training. It starts tomorrow." Oh crap. What if my mother had already told the others, and Haymitch mentioned something to him? That might ruin the whole plan. "Karina, they don't know about earlier," my mother added, glancing at Alex as he walked out of the room. "I'm going to assume, as well as I know you, that you lied and told him you aren't." I bit my lip. "Thought as much," she sighed. "You are going to have to tell him."

"I know, and I will, just... later..." I said, fidgeting with the blanket on the bed. "If he knows, he won't care if he makes it out of the arena. You know him as well as I do. And you know that if he knows, he'll put all of his effort into protecting me, and he'll stress out, and he'll get himself killed!"

My mother sat down beside me. "When is later, Karina? There is no later for the two of you. There's only now. We'll have to sit down and discuss this before you go into the arena," she said. "The three of us. You are not going in there without your husband knowing about this. Understood?" I nodded meekly. "Good. Now come on. We should join Haymitch and Alex."

When we came out, Alex and Haymitch were arguing. "I'm telling you, I don't have any strengths!" Alex was saying.

"You can't fight? With anything?"

"Katanas, yeah, but what's the likelyhood of them having one of those in the arena?"

"Great, if you can prove to them you can use one!"

"Boys, boys," My mother said, interrupting. "Alex, they'll have almost any weapon you can think of in the training center and again in the private sessions. If you show them that you can use a katana, they'll have one in the Cornucopia."

"They just want a good show," I said, repeating the words I had heard my father say year after year. "And you can fight with more than that, Alex. You can fight with all kinds of swords, and with your fists, too. You're good. Better than me," I added bitterly.

"You can shoot," my mother said. "I know I taught you that. And you can work with knives. You have great aim. And if worse comes to worse, you can run."

"I don't like either one," I said. "I hate fighting. I hate weapons."

"You have no choice, darling," Haymitch snickered. "You're in the Hunger Games whether you like it or not, and you'll have to fight. Running is for cowards."

The next day started our training. Per my mother's request, Alex and I stayed away from the things we were already good at, instead honing our other skills.

I was by the edible plants section when a dark skinned girl walked over to Alex and I. "Hey," she said. She looked nervous. "I just thought I'd tell you that... well... I'm sorry, about your circumstances. Nobody should have to go through this. My aunt died years ago in these games when she was young." I murmured my apologies. "No worries," she said, with a small smile. "That was a long time before I was born. I just thought I'd let you know." There was a pause. "My name's Blaze."

"I'm Karina," I said, smiling back. When Alex didn't say anything, I glanced over at him. He was watching the boy tribute from district one, who was standing in front of the female tribute from district six, one of the twelve year olds. Without a word, my husband walked over.

"Excuse me, I don't think you should be picking on her," he said, in a calm voice. The boy sneered at him. "I did warn you," Alex said, turning away. "We are going into an arena where it's perfectly legal to kill people."

"Did I ask your input?" the boy snapped. "Why don't you mind your own business and leave us alone, eh?"

"Why don't you not pick on a girl?" Alex retorted. "It's actually quite pathetic, you know, an eighteen year old picking on a twelve year old. Just my opinion." The training room had gone quiet, people were watching the exchange.

There was a moment when the boy stared at Alex, and then the next second, he had balled up his fist and went to punch him. Alex sidestepped the punch and took a step forward.

"Alex," I murmured, having decided to go over. "Come on." I took his arm and began to lead him away.

"Letting your wife fight your battles for you, huh?" The boy sneered. His name finally hit me. Rueben. I remembered watching him volunteer on the recaps of the reapings.

"What battles? You're not much of a fighter if you ask me," Alex said. "I could probably beat you if it came down to it. But we can save that for the arena." This finally silenced him, and we walked away.

**Wow. Lol. I have chapter five written already too, and I only updated yesterday. I've been a busy girl :) You can thank my fiancee for this chapter and the next. He was on my butt about writing them, because he's my editor and the person I bounce my ideas off of. So. Hope you enjoyed, and please please PLEASE leave reviews :) Goodnight! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Karina and Alexander are both eighteen, and have been in a relationship for a number of years. What happens when they both get reaped in the 95th Hunger Games? Note: Peeta died in his games, Katniss was the only victor, and there was no rebellion.**

Chapter Five

The other two days of training went better than the first. We learned the girl's name was Holly. She was a sweet girl, a bit naive, but being twelve, that was a little expected. As the days went on, I noticed a change in my husband. He was quieter, as he worked with the weapons in the training center. At night, we gave each other a kiss and went straight to bed. I was worried about him, but all he would say is that he was okay. I knew better, but I also knew better than to push it.

The private session with the gamemakers had finally arrived. As we sat outside the room waiting, I finally decided to talk with him. We had plenty of time, after all. "Love, what's bothering you?" I murmured, so the other tributes couldn't hear. He glanced over at me, and then back at the door, not responding. "Alexander."

"What?" he snapped. I flinched back, and his look softened. "I'm sorry," he said. "I just don't like this, the idea of hurting people. I don't want to go back to..."

He stopped talking, and I put my arm around him without another word, silently giving him my support. I knew why he hated people. It was something he had done years ago, after the accident. He wasn't even supposed to be there - he had gone to find his brother to bring him home from dinner. After the accident had happened, people had shunned him, had avoided him, or picked fights with him. Those who had picked fights with him, he hadn't held back, and had hurt some of them, seriously. I could tell it terrified him, what he could be, what he could do. He had sworn after his brother had died that he wouldn't go back, and so far, he hadn't. But with the games looming over us, it was bothering him again.

"Alexander Ryder," one of the men called. I squeezed his hand as they led him out of the room.

"Good luck," I called. He turned back, gave me a small smile, and kept walking. I stayed in the room, biting my lip nervously, my hand straying to my stomach every now and then.

I had pushed the thought of my pregnancy out of my mind as much as I possibly could the last few days for training, but every now and then, it crept up on me and I came close to tears. I wanted this baby, but it couldn't happen.

As time passed, I grew more nervous. It had to have been at least half an hour; what was taking so long? Finally, the same man came in. "Your turn," he said, not even bothering to say my name. Why would he? I was the last there. I followed him into the room the game makers were waiting in. They were sitting at a table, discussing something in frantic tones. I cleared my throat, and they looked up.

"Miss Ryder-"

"Mrs," I said, before realizing I had interrupted. "Sorry."

"It's fine. Mrs. Ryder, please, show us what you can do."

I walked over to the bows, and hesitated, before scolding myself. I had used them since I was seven, why hesitate? I shot a couple of arrows at one of the dummies, hitting it dead on, then grabbed a knife set. I tossed them at the other dummy in the room, also hitting it. When I was done, I turned and patiently waited.

"That's fine, you may go." I made to leave, but one of them cleared his throat. I turned.

"Your husband is the one that was just here, wasn't he?" I looked at him curiously.

"Um, yes sir," I said. He nodded, and said nothing else. "Sir, if I may, why do you ask?"

The man didn't respond, instead going back to talking with the other game makers. I frowned, but left, heading up to the floor. When I walked in, Alex, Haymitch, and Judith were sitting together.

I sat next to him. "How'd it go?"

"We were just discussing that, and he was about to explain something," Haymitch said. For once, the man didn't sound drunk. I gave him an odd look, and turned back to Alex.

"My shoulder went out of place in the middle of it," He said. "I'm fine," he added, as I looked at him in concern. "Just for a second. But I'm not sure what kind of score I'm going to get. I didn't want to move my arm too bad after that."

I kissed his shoulder. "I'm sure you did fine," I reassured him.

After we ate dinner, we waited for the scores. My mother, who had vanished for most of the day, came back just as they were announcing District one, Reuben's ten. I only half paid attention. Sevens were common this year, I noted. Holly got a five, which I found sad. She really had no chance. Blaze managed a nine, surprising everybody in the room, and then it was district twelve.

"Alexander Ryder," a disembodied voice said, as my husband's picture appeared on the screen. "Ten."

"I told you!" I said, giving him a hug. He smiled weakly, as they said my name. I shrugged it off. "Eight's not bad," I said. "Alex! You got a ten!"  
"That's pretty good," Judith said. "Both of you did great."

"What did you do, anyway?" I asked, positioning myself on the couch so I was resting my head on his leg, looking up at him. "

He looked down at me. "Sliced one of their dummies in half with a katana," he said simply. "Surprised one of them." He paused, playing with a strand of my hair. "I also showed them some of the sword fighting moves, but I moved my shoulder wrong, I guess, and it popped out of place."

"You still managed a ten, that's pretty good," I said.

"You got an eight, that's wonderful too," he said. "When are the interviews?"

"Don't change the subject," I told him. "What's bothering you? You look upset."

"Just thinking."

"About?"

"Connor." My mother, who hadn't moved from the chair up until then, silently got up and left the room. I sat up and pulled my husband in a hug.

Connor was Alex's brother, the one he had gone into the mines to find the day of the accident. He had never stopped blaming himself, and had committed suicide a year after.

"Alex..." I said softly. "It's okay." Alex said nothing for a moment, but when he did speak, his voice was barely above a whisper.

"If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have gotten that ten. Hell, if it weren't for him, I doubt I'd even be here." I kept silent, as my husband continued. "I looked up to him. I just... I hate using katanas, because he taught me how to fight with them. I hate the fact that I didn't even know he was hurting." Silence filled the room. I had no idea what to say, so I just held him.

**Chapter five is done. I hope you enjoyed it, and please leave a review. I'm going out with my fiancee, so I won't be writing any more tonight, so probably no chapter tomorrow. Sorry guys. But I will continue it as soon as I can. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Karina and Alexander are both eighteen, and have been in a relationship for a number of years. What happens when they both get reaped in the 95th Hunger Games? Note: Peeta died in his games, Katniss was the only victor, and there was no rebellion.**

Chapter Six

The two of us were woken up in the morning by Judith banging on the door. "You two need to get ready, interviews are tonight, and your stylists want to speak with you!" Alex and I shared a groan, before climbing out of the bed and getting dressed for the day.

An entire day had passed since the scores had been broadcasted. During that time, my mother, Haymitch, and Judith had worked on our television interview skills, and how we would play it off. We would, of course, go with Rachael, and how she would affect our decisions in the arena. My mother had pulled me aside when Alex used the bathroom, and asked if I wanted to gain sympathy by announcing my pregnancy during my interview. I hesitated.

_"It's your best bet to get you and Alex sponsors," she had told me. "Alex might be a little upset with you, but he will get over it."_

_I bit my lip, still hesitant. "I can't," I had said finally. "I'll tell him when we're in the arena." _

I brought myself back to the present. "Are you ready for tonight?" I asked, as I slipped a dress over my head and pulled my hair back into a quick ponytail.

He shrugged. "Not really." He massaged his shoulder, then noted my glance. "It's fine, just a little sore. I'll be okay."

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. "I'm kinda nervous," I admitted. "I don't like talking in front of people, especially not a bunch of them. It doesn't help that they can't wait to watch us die."

Alex opened his mouth to speak, but Judith banged on the door again. "Are you two ready yet?" She called through the wood.

"Just a minute!" I called back, slipping shoes on. Then I yanked the door open.

Craig spent hours getting me ready. First thing he did was braid my hair, first into several mini braids, and then continuously until I had a single braid going down my back. Then I was given a white dress marked with flame designs. It was nothing like the wedding dress I had worn for the parade. This one was shorter, only going down to my knees. The flames went along the bottom and on the long sleeves. Turning to the side in it, I did note that I had a curve on my stomach. I frowned, placing my hand on it.

"Do you not like the dress?" Craig asked.

I smiled at him. "Oh no, I love it." I just wasn't sure what my husband was going to say about it, I added silently. If he even noticed.

The two of us met everybody else at the elevators, and headed down to where the interviews would take place. Alex smiled at me, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. As we met up with the tributes from the other districts, he nudged my arm. I glanced over at him.

"What is it?" I mouthed.

"Shoulder," he mouthed back. "It's getting worse."

As we walked onto the stage, I tried to keep myself from pulling him into a hug. I hated seeing him in pain, and right now was not the best time for it. We sat down in our seats, and the interviews began.

Some of the tributes were interesting, I had to admit. And others were just sad. There were several twelve year olds this year, and all of them looked so small standing next to the seventeen and eighteen year olds. As time wore on, I began nervously tapping my foot. Speaking in front of huge crowds had never been my thing. Every now and then, I glanced back over at Alex, whose face was slowly losing color, and kept rubbing his shoulder. I knew there was nothing I could do to help at this point. If we were alone, I would rub his shoulder for him, but we were in front of a huge crowd.

I had zoned out, because next thing I knew it was my turn. I stood up, my legs shaking, and walked over to the seat next to Caesar.

"Welcome, Karina Ryder," he said, giving me a warm smile. "You look nervous."

I smiled back weakly. "I am," I admitted. "I'm not very good in front of crowds."

"Hm. So, you managed an eight in your private session. I'm a bit curious as to how."

I shrugged. "My mother taught me a thing or two."

"Ah, yes, Katniss Everdeen, victor of the seventy fourth games," he said. "She must have wanted you to be safe. Now, I have to ask, because everybody's wondering. Your husband is competing with you in the games this year. How do you feel about that?"

I chewed on my cheek again, thinking. "At first," I started, then stopped. "When Judith first said his name at the reaping, I think my heart stopped. Everything just went fuzzy. Next thing I knew, she was calling my name, and I was just..." I stopped again, and swallowed. "It was not a good feeling. I felt like my heart had been ripped out."

"How long have the two of you been together?"

"We started dating when I was fourteen," I said. "We've been married a little over ten months."

"You're eighteen, correct?" I nodded. "People don't normally marry this young. Why did you decide to, with the risk of being caught in the Hunger Games?"

This was it. "We had to."

"Pardon?"

"We have a daughter together, Rachael. She's six months old." The audience had gone completely silent. Even Caesar had no idea what to say for a few seconds. But he soon recovered.

"Well that's certainly bad luck," he said quietly. "What do you think will happen with her if one of you wins?"

"If I win, I'll tell her what a wonderful father she had, and how he was taken from us," I said, my voice clear. "He'll do the same if he wins. I don't think she'll understand why for several years, but there's no changing the fact that only one victor comes out, is there?"

The long silence that followed was interrupted when the buzzer went off, and Caesar cleared his throat. Were those tears in his eyes? "Thank you. Karina Ryder, everyone!"

I sat back down in my seat, shaking badly, but not as much as Alex was when he got up. I squeezed his hand for support as he passed, and went to the chair.

Caesar welcomed him, still quiet. "Alexander, is it?"

My husband nodded. "Yes. Most people call me Alex, however. It's something my wife started." I smiled a little.

"What a revelation we got with her," Caesar said. "We heard your wife's side, now let's hear yours. What were your thoughts when the two of you got reaped?"

"Rachael," He said. "Our daughter. My thoughts were what's going to happen to her, if-" he stopped, squeezing his eyes shut. I bit my lip nervously, longing to run up to him. "what's going to happen to her if Kari and I don't make it home to her," he continued, after a long pause."Like she said, she's not going to understand." He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I'm sure she'll know how brave the two of you are," Caesar said quietly. "I don't think there has been a situation like this before in the games," he added, even softer. "Now, you managed a ten. How did you do that?"

"My brother had a katana that was older than the both of us combined," Alex said. "He taught himself how to use it, and then taught me, so I could defend myself."

"You have a brother?"

"Not anymore," Alex whispered, then cleared his throat. "He... he uh... He killed himself about five years ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's alright. He suffered from injuries he gained in a mine collapse, about a year before he died. He couldn't take the pain anymore, I guess."

Why was Alex bringing this up? I wondered. It took him a year of us being together before he even mentioned his brother.

"A mine collapsed on him?"

Alex grimaced. "On both of us, actually." He shifted, and the light landed on his scars. So that's what he was doing.

"May I?" Caesar asked, gesturing towards his arm. Alex shrugged, and winced, but moved his arm so Caesar could see the scars close up. "These look bad."

"Trust me, they aren't as bad as some of my others," My husband said. "I have one here-" he slid a finger across his chest "-that never healed properly. Still causes me pain, along with my shoulders. I've been taking pain medicine ever since, but it's not allowed in the arena."  
He must be trying to gain sympathy, I thought. Not only is he part of the couple that's married with a child, he also has injuries that might hinder him in the arena.

"That's really tough," Caesar said. "Sounds like you have had a tough time." The buzzer went off before Alex could respond. Our interviews were over.

**I can't believe this story is coming out so fast, Lol. ****One of the longer chapters I've written. I hope you enjoyed this. Please leave a review, they make my day :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Karina and Alexander are both eighteen, and have been in a relationship for a number of years. What happens when they both get reaped in the 95th Hunger Games? Note: Peeta died in his games, Katniss was the only victor, and there was no rebellion.**

Chapter Seven

_"Run Kari!" Alex shouted, as the older tributes surrounded him. "Go, don't look back! You can make it home to Rachael!" As I watched, Reuben had come up behind him and shoved a sword through his back. The blade came out of my husband's stomach. His eyes widened, and he fell to the ground._**  
**

"NO!" I sat up in bed, breathing heavily. I let out a shuddering breath as I glanced beside me to see Alex laying there, eyes closed, his chest softly rising and falling. I laid back down, keeping my eyes open. My mind replayed my dream over again in a loop, and my heart pounded with the thought that the games start tonight, and that just might happen.

"Are you okay?" The whisper startled me, and I glanced over to see Alex watching me, his eyes bright in the darkness.

"I'm fine," I whispered, resting my head on his chest and listening to his heartbeat, reassuring him that, no matter what happens later, he was there at that moment. "Just a dream."

Sixty seconds. In sixty seconds, the Games would officially start. From where I stood, I took a glance around the arena. It looked like a city, which surprised me. Cars were parked along the streets, there was a little park in the center. This had to be the first time they didn't use nature, I thought.

After my nightmare, the rest of the night had passed agonizingly slow. When they came to wake us up before dawn, I was relieved. We were taking down to get ready for the arena, given our trackers, clothes, and given back our tokens, after they had been inspected.

I twisted my engagement ring around my finger. Thirty seconds. I looked around again. Alex was standing next to me. I could see Rachael's picture in the pocket of his shirt. He noticed me looking, and quietly pushed it back in so it wouldn't fall out. Fifteen seconds.

Fourteen. Reuben was staring at Alex, an evil glint in his eyes. Twelve. Holly was getting ready to run. Ten. Blaze had glanced over at me, and gave me a smile. We had agreed to be in an alliance for as long as we could. Eight. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. Six. Alex nodded towards the cornucopia. A set of knives rested right next to where a pack sat, a bow sticking out of the top. My husband's eyes then shifted toward a katana. Four. I nodded, knowing what he had in mind. Two. I got ready to run. BANG!

I broke into a run, reaching the cornucopia before the rest of the tributes. Blaze rushed off toward a building, as I grabbed the pack and knives, while Alex reached the katana. I made to run, as a girl stepped in front of me, a dagger in hand. Without thinking, I took a knife and pushed it into her stomach. Blood spilled over my hand as I yanked it back out and fled into the building Blaze had run into.

My heart pounded as she grabbed my arm and dragged me into a room.

I almost screamed as someone rushed into the room we were in, before seeing it was Alex. Blood spilled from a cut on his leg, but he otherwise looked unharmed. He grabbed my other arm and the three of us went out a back door and kept going, as far away from the fighting as we could get. As we ran, we heard eight cannon shots go off, marking the deceased in the blood bath.

"Let's settle here," Alex said finally, panting, after a long time of running. "I think we're far enough away." We sank onto the ground, out of breath. "What's in the bag?"

I opened the pack and pulled the bow and arrows out first. After came a couple of water bottles. Lucky for us, they actually had water in them. And even luckier still was the wrapped pack of food sitting at the bottom. "Looks like we have enough food for at least today and tomorrow, maybe another day," I said, setting the items side by side on the ground. Alex picked up the food and inspected it.

"Should last us a couple of days, if we ration it properly," He commented. "We'll have to be careful though."

"Where are we going to stay tonight?" Blaze asked us.

I looked around. We were surrounded by homes. "We could always hide in one of them," I said. "Granted, if we're ambushed, it might be a little hard to escape."

Alex glanced up at the sky, where clouds were gathering. "Either way,we need to get shelter. A storm in these games isn't a good thing."

"But why would they have one of their storms the first night?" Blaze questioned. "It doesn't make much sense, unless not very many people died at the cornucopia."

"Let's just go in one of the houses," Alex said, after a brief silence. "We should be fine there until the storm passes, nobody's going to want to go out in a storm."

Blaze and I agreed. We packed the food and water back in the bag. I shouldered the bow and stuck the knives in my belt, and the three of us entered a nearby home.

"I'm going to explore," Blaze said. "You guys coming or are you going to stay here?"

I glanced at Alex. "You girls go, I'll be here," he said. "Be careful," He added, as we left the entry room. The home had a single bedroom, a bathroom, the entry room, and the kitchen. It was small, but big enough the three of us could move around without walking into each other. A door led out of the kitchen into another street, so we had an escape. It was risky staying inside, but it was even riskier with the storm brewing outside.

As we got settled, night fell, and the Capital anthem played, as they showed the pictures of the eight dead. As the pictures appeared on the sky, I noted the deaths in my head. To my dismay, even though I knew it had been inevitable, Holly had died, along with the twelve year old boy from 5. The girl from three was up there, along with the one from nine. Both tributes from seven and ten had died as well.

It was the girl from ten that nearly made my heart stop. I recognized her the moment her picture flashed across the sky. I looked down at my hands, where her blood had been. I had washed off once we were completely settled, but I could still feel her life slip away. I had killed before, but that had been animals, not a human being, not a fifteen year old girl.

I stood up, shaking. Alex looked up at me, concern evident in his eyes. "We uh... We should probably get some sleep. Do you guys want to switch off a watch, or what?" I asked. Even my voice shook.

"We'll switch off every two hours," Alex decided. "You girls go ahead and get some rest. Blaze, you want to take the next watch, or do you want to, Kari?"

The other girl shrugged. "I don't care. Whichever one of us wakes up first should work." The two of us laid down on the blankets we had taken from the bedroom and moved to the entry room. I was asleep in seconds.

_"I'm leaving," Alex hissed, heading towards the door. "You're a murderer, and I want nothing more to do with you!" _

_"No, please," I begged. _

_"You deserve it," a new voice said. It was the girl. "You killed me. I had a family. But you destroyed it, so I will destroy yours!" A cry came from the corner of the room. I stared in horror as the girl picked Rachael up off the floor, and grinned at me. "Say goodbye to your precious baby," she sneered._

"Karina!" I sat up, panting. Alex was kneeling down next to me. "Hey, it's just a dream. You're fine." He pulled me into a hug. "You're just fine."

"Rachael," I sobbed. "She..."

"It's just a dream," Alex repeated, holding me close. "Just a dream. I promise. Rachael's fine, you're fine, I'm fine. We're all okay."

**Here you go, chapter seven. Chapter eight is being written now. I have two people editing this now, one before it goes up here, one after. So thanks to my brother Logan and my fiance Dane. Love you guys! **

**Hope you enjoyed this, and please leave me a review :) **


	8. Chapter 8

**Karina and Alexander are both eighteen, and have been in a relationship for a number of years. What happens when they both get reaped in the 95th Hunger Games? Note: Peeta died in his games, Katniss was the only victor, and there was no rebellion.**

Chapter Eight

When I had stopped crying, Alex brushed away the stray tears. "You alright now?" I nodded, and he smiled at me.

"Is it my turn to take watch?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yes, since you're already up. Unless you want me to wake Blaze." I looked over at the dark skinned girl, and stood up.

"No, I'll do it," I said, stretching. I looked at him carefully. "How are you holding up?" I asked quietly. I wasn't sure when the withdrawal symptoms would start.

"I'm sore," He admitted. "It's been about twelve hours since the last dose of the medicine, and it's worn off. But I'll be fine." He took my place on the blankets, and I took his by the door.

As I kept myself awake, my mind drifted back to the day Alex and I had gotten together. It had been right before school had started back, and Helena had decided to get a bunch of us together and have a party to celebrate. She and Alex had been friends for about a year. I had only really seen him at school and on the occasions Helena had her parties, but during those times, we had somehow become good friends, and I had fallen for him. I didn't think there was a way he would fall for me, though, until during a truth or dare game, he had to admit he liked someone there. I had hoped that it would be me, but I had my doubts. My family had been rich, and the Ryders didn't have much money, since Alex couldn't work in the mines and his brother had died. We came from completely different worlds.

So at the party, Alex had had to go back home to get his medicine, and I offered to walk with him so he wouldn't be alone. While at his house, we laughed and talked, until I finally got the guts to do what I had wanted to do - I kissed him. It had taken him by surprise, and he asked me to be his girlfriend as we walked back to the party. When we arrived holding hands, Helena had stopped, stared at us for a moment, before squealing and hugging us both excitedly.

We had spent three wonderful years together before I had found out I was pregnant. When we had told our parents, they were a little disappointed in us, but agreed to let us get married. I was already five months along when everything had been finally arranged, and we were married.

Four months later, when I went into labor, Alex had been cooking dinner. I went into the kitchen and told him I thought the baby was coming. His reaction was immediate. Thankfully he remembered to turn the stove off before running out to get my mother. Several painful hours later, Rachael was born. We had no trouble picking her name, which was a relief.

And I was pregnant again. I rested a hand on my stomach. The knowledge that there was another child in there was supposed to be a happy thought, but instead we were trapped in a fight to the death. Only one of us would survive. It had to be that way.

I bit my lip, staring out the window at the dark street, as something white drifted down. I glanced back at Alex and Blaze. They were still sleeping, so as quietly as I could, I picked up a knife and opened the door. It was a parachute, like the ones they give us gifts with. What would they give us this early in the games? were they even allowed to? I picked the gift up in my hand. It was a pill bottle, with a single pill in it, along with a note.

"Karina," it read. "This is for Alex. It will help with the withdrawal. Sorry we can't do more, Haymitch." I curled my fingers around the bottle and pushed open the door, just as a cannon shot interrupted the quiet night. Alex shot up, looking around. "Kari?"

"I'm right here," I whispered, shutting the door as quietly as I could. "I don't know who it was, but I'm fine." He sighed, closing his eyes. "Are you okay?" I asked, concerned. He didn't respond. "Alex?"

"Hm?" he opened his eyes again. I repeated my question. He lifted one of his hands, and I swallowed, looking at the shaking. Rain began to pound on the ceiling, as I uncurled my fingers.

"Haymitch sent this to us," I told him, opening the bottle and grabbing one of the water bottles. "The note said it would help. I'm not sure how, but it should help."

"Only one of us can get out," Alex said. "So it doesn't matter whether I take this or not."

"Alex.." I started, but froze as a crash sounded from outside. Alex quickly stood up, and nearly fell back down. I put my arm around his back and led him to a seat, before nervously biting my lip. "What do you think that was?" Alex didn't have a chance to respond as the kitchen door crashed open, and two girls ran in, one supporting the other. I picked up one of the knives and pointed it in their direction.

"Wait!" one girl said. "Please, help! She's hurt, and I don't know what to do!"

Alex and I exchanged a glance, but he was in too much pain to respond. "Blaze," I said sharply. She sat up groggily. "We have company." I nodded in their direction. Her fingers tightened around the knife she had, as she stood up.

"What happened with you?" she asked the girls.

"We had formed an alliance with Laurel, from four, and Victoria, from five," the dark haired girl said. "I'm Mikayla, eight, and this is Everly, one. We were attacked by the careers. They killed Victoria and Laurel, and hurt Everly. She's bleeding pretty bad."

An hour later, Mikayla, Alex, Blaze, and I sat back, as Everly closed her eyes and a cannon went off. The smell of blood was making me feel like vomiting, but I tried to hold it back. Mikayla burst into tears, and I put my arm around the young girl. She couldn't be much older than thirteen, and children like her shouldn't be here.

"None of us should be," Alex whispered. The sound made me jump, and I realized I had spoken out loud. "None of us should be here," he repeated, closing his eyes. His head fell forward.

"Alex?" I said. "Alex, are you okay?" He jerked his head up.

"Wha?" he asked, before it fell back down again. Blaze and Makayla stared at me.

"Alex!" He jerked his head up once more, looking confused. "I asked if you were okay."

"No you didn't," he said. "I'm fine, jus tired..." His eyes closed for a second, snapped open, then closed again.

"Help me," I told the other two girls. Together, we managed to get him lying down on the blankets. "Get some rest," I whispered. He drifted off, and the two girls looked at me questioningly.

**Here's chapter eight. Hope you enjoy! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Karina and Alexander are both eighteen, and have been in a relationship for a number of years. What happens when they both get reaped in the 95th Hunger Games? Note: Peeta died in his games, Katniss was the only victor, and there was no rebellion.**

Chapter Nine

"What was that?" Blaze asked. "What's going on that the two of you haven't told me?" I looked between her and Mikayla, who, though unspoken agreement, had joined our alliance.

"Alex is... ill," I said slowly, not sure how much I wanted to tell them After all, we would probably end up fighting in a couple of days. But for now, they were on our side, and they needed to know. "This... happens every now and then, when he's stressing out." I looked at my husband, biting the inside of my cheek, a nervous habit. "He has a lot to be stressing out over, between the games, his withdrawal-"

"Withdrawal? He's an addict?" Blaze interrupted.

I shook my head. "It's more complicated than that," I said. "There.. there was an accident." I proceeded to tell them the short version, how he was injured and was in pain, and had pain medicine that he wasn't allowed to take.

The first morning in the arena passed quickly. The four of us didn't do anything, other than move Everly's body outside so that the hovercraft could get her. When Alex woke up, he had no memory of passing out in the first place.

When we got back from taking Everly's body outside, he sank into a chair, a thin veil of sweat on his forehead. We said nothing about it as we all sat down. "What are we going to do?" Blaze asked. "We can't just sit here, the capital will get bored, and the gamemakers will have to do something about it."  
Alex shrugged. "We could always go look for someone," He said. I turned and stared at him. "I'm not suggesting kill them," he amended. "Just have a fight so the capital will have something to watch."

"It's kill or be killed," Mikayla said. I stared at the younger girl. "What? It's true. We can't all make it out, we know that."

"We can fight if it comes to us," I said sharply. "I for one am not going out to look for a fight. I've... I've already killed somebody, I'm not in a hurry to do it again."

"Kari," Alex said quietly. "Only one survivor. It's always been this way, always will be this way. If you don't fight, you're going to get killed."

"I know!" I snapped. "Do you think I want to die? No! But only one of us survives! I'll do my best to get you out so you can go home to Rachael, but I'm not going to fight for me. I'm fighting for her, for you!"

Alex opened and shut his mouth, staring at me. "And what of the baby? You'll sacrifice him or her for me?" he asked finally. I stared at him. "Yes, I know," he told me, crossing his arms. "You shouldn't have lied to me."

"Wait," Blaze said slowly. "You're pregnant?" Alex and I stared at each other, neither one of us answering Blaze.

"Your mother told me, after the interviews," he said. "She said you didn't want to worry me. Did you think I wouldn't find out? We promised to tell each other everything!"

"You don't uphold by that!" I snapped. "You don't keep your promises either! What ever happened to you telling me when you're in pain? You've been clutching the table for the past half hour, but you haven't said a word!"

"That's different and you know it!"

"Guys!" We both looked at Blaze. "Enough. We don't have time for this. Alex, if you're hurting, tell us so we know. Karina... well..." She paused. "You should have told us you're pregnant."

"It wasn't relevant," I said, avoiding their eyes. "It won't prevent anyone from killing me. I would have told you, Alex, but there's nothing you can do. We're stuck in these games whether we like it or not."

"You still should have told me," He murmured. "I have a right to know."

I sighed. "I know, Alex, but I was thinking about you." Silence filled the room. "It's just one more thing for you to worry about and make yourself sick over." A cannon shot went off, and I sighed again. "Yes, I'm pregnant, Alex. But there's now thirteen of us left. Only a two in thirteen chance one of us will make it out, and I'm not holding on to the fact it could be me."

**This chapter didn't want to be written, so I made it short.. sorry.. But here it is! Hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Karina and Alexander are both eighteen, and have been in a relationship for a number of years. What happens when they both get reaped in the 95th Hunger Games? Note: Peeta died in his games, Katniss was the only victor, and there was no rebellion.**

Chapter Ten

We heard a crash from somewhere down the street, and I hurried to the window to look outside. Three figures came into view, each holding a weapon. "Guys," I said sharply. "We have company."

The three boys came to a halt as Blaze, Mikayla, Alex and I exited, the latter with difficulty. My husband looked exhausted, from the lack of sleep and the effects the withdrawal was having on him. "What do we have here?" the blonde commented, sneering. "The slut, a little girl, the black girl, and the slut's husband."

I narrowed my eyes. "Watch yourself."

He laughed. "Why should I? You can't kill anybody."

"Want to bet?" I demanded, pulling a knife out of my belt. The blonde laughed again. "You're from eight, aren't you? You and Mikayla."

"Ha! Just because we're from the same district doesn't mean we have to be friends. Hell, most people in these games just form alliances to stay alive longer, they don't last. If you knew what's best, you'd break your alliance," he added.

"Come on Rhett," Mikayla said. "You're my brother's best friend! If you kill me and make it out of the arena, he'll kill you."

"That's why I'm not going to be the one killing you, Kay," Rhett said. He gestured towards one of his companions, who held a spear. "This is Lane. He'll be killing you for me, so I don't have to."

The spear went flying through the air a second later, striking Mikayla in the chest. The girl fell, blood pooling around her. booom.

For a moment, I couldn't move, I just stared in shock. Then a sudden movement caught my eye. Alex had lunged forward, his sword sliced through the air at Rhett. I sprang into action, my knife flying through the air and hitting Lane, just as Alex's sword cut through Rhett. The third boy, who had been still up until now, took one look at us and started running. An arrow caught him in the back and he fell, as three more cannon shots sounded. I turned to see Blaze, with the bow. She slowly lowered it.

"Well... that was..." she said. She paused, and didn't continue, as the three of us stared at the bodies. I turned away after a minute, the smell of blood too strong, and vomited into the grass behind me. I felt someone pull my hair back away from my face, and when I was done, hand me one of the bottles of water. I swallowed, and turned back around. Blaze gave me a small smile. "You alright?" I shrugged, not trusting myself to speak. I had killed two people, and I felt nothing for it.

Had I become heartless? I didn't think so, and yet, I felt nothing when I looked at the corpse of the boy I had killed. Instead, I walked over and retrieved my knife from him. I wiped it off in the grass, then looked over at Alex. He had sat down outside the house, his katana sheathed on the ground next to him, eyes closed.

"Are you okay?" I asked him. He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut even tighter. "What's wrong?" I sank down next to him, putting my hand on his arm and looking at him in concern.

"I'm…fine…" he managed. I gave him a doubtful look, even as he let out a quick breath before sucking in more oxygen.

"Why don't you take the pill Haymitch sent us?" I demanded, crossing my arms.

"Because," he grimaced.

"Because why?" I questioned. "It will help you! You can't go through the Games like this!"

"Yes, I can," Alex muttered. I sighed.

"You're stubborn you know that?"

"Ya, i know" he said as he coughed.I looked over at Blaze who was watching us, her bow drawn and ready to shoot if someone should come over.

"You two go inside," She said. "I'll keep watch for a while."

"Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly. "I can stay out here if you want me to."

She shook her head. "No, he needs to go inside. It's hot out here." she nodded her head at Alex. "Take care of your husband."

I smiled at her gratefully, then looked back at Alex. "Come on," I said softly, putting one of his arms around my shoulder and my arm around his waist, slowly lifting him up and edging him into the house, putting him down slowly on the blankets still in the living room. "I'm going to go find the pill," I informed him.

"No."

"Why not?"**  
**

"Because," He managed, then groaned, clutching at his abdomen. He took a deep breath in, his fingers digging into my arm. "Sorry," he whispered, releasing my arm and letting his fingers dig into his own palm. I took back his hand, using my other to brush the blonde strands out of his eyes.

"Hey," I said gently. "You weren't hurting me. You haven't hurt me yet." In response, he let out a half groan, half cry of pain, his eyes squeezed shut. I let my fingers of my free hand stroke his hair as I watched him, knowing that there was nothing else I could do. I was completely helpless in this.

As time passed, the pressure on my hand lessened, but I knew the pain had gotten worse. I continued to keep his hair out of his eyes, kissing him on the forehead every now and then.

At one point, the sound that came out of his mouth came close to a scream, as the top half of his body arched off of the ground. Tears slid from his eyes as I held back my own, holding him even tighter.

Blaze came rushing through the door. She stared in shock at us for a moment. "What can I do?" She whispered.

I shook my head. "Nothing," I said, just as quietly, as we both watched my husband, groaning in agony. "Actually..." I said, thinking. "Do you know where that pill bottle went that was here earlier?" For I had looked for it, and hadn't found it.

Blaze shook her head. "No, I don't. I didn't know there was a pill bottle."

I sighed in near defeat. Now there was truly nothing I could do, for the likelihood of Haymitch resending that gift was close to zero. Medicine wasn't exactly a cheap gift in the games, and for the first time, I wondered if we really had that many sponsors, if he was able to afford it this early.

The day slowly passed. Alex's pain reached the peak, and it gradually began to get lower, even as the sun began to set. I hadn't moved from my spot next to him, and thankfully, the game-makers had decided not to throw anything our way.

By the time that the capital's anthem was playing, Alex had drifted off into an uneasy sleep. After they showed the pictures of the day's dead, I laid down next to him and finally let my tears fall.

**This chapter was extremely hard to write. Part of this story is taken from personal experience, and Alex's pain is one of those things. My fiancee has injuries from a long time ago that cause him pain, and I deal with that on a daily basis. **

**I hope you're enjoying this story so far, and please leave reviews. I appreciate them!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Karina and Alexander are both eighteen, and have been in a relationship for a number of years. What happens when they both get reaped in the 95th Hunger Games? Note: Peeta died in his games, Katniss was the only victor, and there was no rebellion.**

Chapter Eleven

The next morning, I was woken up by the sun shining in my face. My first thought was, where are we? And then I remembered the events of the night before, and I quickly looked over at Alex. He was still asleep, a thin layer of sweat covering his skin. Despite that, he looked peaceful for the first time since we had arrived in the arena. I debated on waking him up, but decided to let him sleep for a little while longer. I stood up and stretched, then headed outside. I hadn't gone past the door frame when I heard speaking. It was Blaze. Who was she talking to?

"..if you're going to do anything, you should've done it last night. Alex-"

"Which one is Alex?" Another voice asked.

"The guy. Can I finish?" Blaze asked impatiently. "Thank you. Geez Wren, you really need to pay more attention. "Anyway, he had some sort of fit. They got medicine sent to them from their mentors that was supposed to help. I figured it would be easier to get to them, so here." She had stolen the medicine? "I probably should get heading back, before they notice."

"Aw, come on, Blaze," Wren said. "Can I have a little kiss before you go?"

I heard a sigh. "I figure we have about an hour before they wake up," Blaze said. I went back inside and shut the door as quietly as I could.

"Alex!" I hissed. "Alex, wake up!"

"What's going on?" he asked, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "I was sleeping you know."

"We have to go! Come on!"

"Why?" he mumbled.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll explain later, we don't have time," I said, grabbing the food and putting it back into the bag. Alex laid back down. "Alexander Nathan Ryder, get up now!" At my use of his full name, my husband raised his eyebrows. "Will you come on?" I said, almost pleading. We had to get a little bit away, before Blaze came back. If not... Well... I glanced over at him as he slowly stood up. The little effort left him panting, and I knew that there was no way he would be able to fight until the effects of the withdrawal left. "I'm sorry love," I whispered. I put his arm back around my shoulder, and supporting his weight, went out the backdoor.

I'm not sure how long we hurried down the street, but when we stopped, the sun was high in the sky and Alex couldn't go any further. We were out in the open though, and I didn't want to stop here. Glancing around, I noticed a black truck sitting in a ditch. "Alex," I whispered. "Do you think you can make it to that?" He shrugged tiredly.

The two of us made it to the truck. Luckily it had a back seat, so we put the front seats forward. I sat down, and Alex laid his head on my lap, exhausted from the long trek. I was tired too, and fell asleep, my head leaning against the window.

I woke up to my arm shaking. Looking down, I noticed Alex was twitching in his sleep, a sign he was having a nightmare. "Alex," I whispered. "Alex, wake up!" He jerked awake, panting and looking around frantically. "You okay?"

"I'm... I'm okay," he said slowly, laying back down. "My chest feels kind of tight though... hurts to breathe..."

"Are you happy now?" I whispered to the ceiling of the truck, imagining the game makers standing in front of me. "This is entirely your fault. If you had just left us alone we wouldn't be here!"

"Hey," Alex whispered, tugging gently on my hand. "Don't. I'm fine."

"What is your definition of fine, Alex? Because this certainly isn't it! We would be fine if we were home with Rachael and our parents. We would be fine if we weren't in these games. Fine is not what we are right now!" I was crying now. Alex didn't deserve this, yet he was suffering because of the damned Capital.

Everything could be traced back to them. The fact that Alex's brother had had to work in the mines when he was still a teenager. The fact that Alex had to go get him because the Games were about to start. The fact that he had been trapped there for hours before anyone cared to go find him, because the Games had started and everybody was in the Square.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm down, concentrating on stroking Alex's hair. "I'm sorry," I whispered to him. "I wish we could get out of here, both of us, and the baby too."

"Me too," Alex said with a small, sad smile, tracing a circle on my arm. I smiled back, and let my eyes close again.

**Here's Chapter Eleven. Almost done with this story, I think. I have the rest of it planned out in my head, I just have to get it down on google docs. Short again I know, but I just wanted to end it here. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Karina and Alexander are both eighteen, and have been in a relationship for a number of years. What happens when they both get reaped in the 95th Hunger Games? Note: Peeta died in his games, Katniss was the only victor, and there was no rebellion.**

Chapter Twelve

_I hurried through the halls, trying to get to the lunchroom before the line got too long. Helena was supposed to be saving my spot, but if one of the ladies saw me, I'd be sent to the end. In my rush, I didn't notice the blonde boy in front of me until we ran into each other. "Crap," I hissed, dropping the book I had been carrying.  
_

_"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.  
_

_I shrugged, leaning down and picking the book back up. "Yeah. I'm fine. I really should pay attention to where I'm going," I said, with a little laugh. "Sorry I ran into you."  
_

_"It's alright."  
_

Something was wrong. Darkness surrounded me, and I couldn't move. I could hear Alex speaking, but the words made no since._  
_

_"Who is that blonde guy?" I questioned, as Helena and I walked back to my house. "He keeps coming up to me randomly ever since I ran into him."  
_

_"That's Alexander Ryder," she explained. "He's the boy that was in that accident last year."  
_

_"The mining accident? Really?" She nodded. "He doesn't seem like it. I heard he had scars everywhere."  
_

_"Haven't you noticed he wears long sleeves?" Helena asked, raising her eyebrows. "He covered the scars up. But he's not a bad guy. He's one of my good friends, actually."  
_

_"Is he? I've never heard you mention him before." We had reached my house in the victor square. "Alexander huh? I'll have to remember that." Helena grinned at me.  
_

"Karina," I heard him whisper, then a groan of pain. "Kari..."_  
_

_"Karina, eh?" Alexander asked. The two of us were sitting outside next to the fence that blocked us from the woods. "That's a nice name."  
_

_"Thank...you?" I said hesitantly. He laughed, a pleasant sound. And it was at that moment that I realized I wanted to make him laugh more. I leaned back, staring up at the sky. "Alexander is really such a long name. Can I call you Alex?" He gave me an odd look, but agreed.  
_

"Kari, are you going to wake up?" It was Alex again. There was more pain in his voice this time. "It hurts so bad... I need you, Kari, don't leave me. Don't leave my side."_  
_

_"I had a brother you know," Alex said suddenly. I looked over at him, questioningly. "His name was Connor. He was in the mine with me when they caved in. He told me later that he heard me, just before it happened, and he kept trying to get to me, but couldn't. He blamed himself."  
_

_"What happened to him?" I asked softly.  
_

_"He died," Alex whispered. "Killed himself. Said he felt guilty, for..." Alex gestured towards his torso and sighed. "Never got a chance to tell him it wasn't his fault..." He closed his eyes. "Why?"  
_

_"Why what?"  
_

_"Why does this have to happen?"  
_

_"I don't know," I said. It was all I could say.  
_

A crash came from somewhere close by, followed by a curse. "Damn it. What do you want?"

"I came to help," a new voice said. It was familiar, but I couldn't place it. "You guys ran away before I got back from scouting, so I followed to make sure you're okay."

"I can't get Kari to wake up," Alex said. "She's been like this for awhile now."_  
_

_I stared into the mirror. "Mom, dad, I'm pregnant," I said. I made a face. "No, I can't just come right out and say it." I thought for a minute. "I guess it doesn't really matter how I say i, as long as I do-"  
_

_"Karina? Who are you talking to?" I whirled around. My mom was standing at the door.  
_

_"Nobody," I said quickly. "I was thinking about my homework assignment. I have to write an essay."  
_

_"Uh huh."  
_

_"It's true," I insisted, even though it wasn't. "Can Alex come over for dinner?" I said, quickly changing the subject. Maybe it would be easier to tell them if he was right beside me.  
_

_"Fine."  
_

"Maybe she's been poisoned?" the voice said. "We are in the Hunger Games, it's a possibility."

"Who would have poisoned her though? The only person we've been close to is..." Alex stopped. "You poisoned her?"

"Of course I did. Did you really think that I'd let you out of the arena? My whole plan was set the moment I saw the recap of the reapings and you called her your wife. It was only made better by your fit, or whatever it was."_  
_

_"I think we should tell them tonight."  
_

_Alex stared at me. "What?"  
_

_"I think-"  
_

_"I heard you," He said. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Your mom has a bow and arrow on the wall in the dining room."  
_

_I crossed my arms. "She's not going to shoot you."  
_

_"You sure about that?"  
_

_"Positive."  
_

_He sighed. "Fine. But if she shoots me-"  
_

_"She's not going to shoot you! My dad on the other hand might," I muttered under my breath. Alex just stared at me.  
_

I still couldn't get away from the darkness. Alex was in danger, and I couldn't help him. I heard another crash, followed by a cry of pain. Alex's. Why couldn't I help him?

_My parents hadn't said anything, for at least ten minutes. Once or twice I had seen my dad's eyes flicker to the bow, but he hadn't moved._

_"Well," my mother said finally. "I..." She became silent again. I bit my lip nervously. My mother sighed. "Well, we can't change things now. I guess you're having a baby. Question is, what are your plans as a couple?"_

_"We want to get married," Alex said, after clearing his throat. "Before the baby is born, preferably."  
_

_"And after the baby's born?"  
_

_"We...don't know."  
_

_"I went to see the Mellarks yesterday," Alex said suddenly. "You know, Helena's parents? They offered me a job."  
_

_"Really?" I said.  
_

_"Yeah. I start next week. Since I can't work in the mines, they said that I could work there, if I need a job. Which I do, so..."  
_

_"That's wonderful!"  
_

_"It is good news, but where do you plan to live?" my father said, speaking for the first time since we told him. "The two of you can stay here, for a little while, but not forever."  
_

_"I understand, sir," Alex said. "I'm sure we can find a place, once I have enough money saved up."  
_

_"Very well then. When do you want to be married?"  
_

"That's what you get," I heard the other voice sneer. Blaze? "You and your bitch deserve nothing less then what you've gotten."_  
_

_"What do you want to name her?" Alex questioned, as the two of us looked down at the baby girl in my arms. "We could name her Helena, like your friend wants."  
_

_"She's your friend too," I laughed. "And no, not Helena." I paused. "Do you remember that girl that was reaped last year? The twelve year old?"  
_

_"Rachel?"  
_

_"Yeah," I said. "Why don't we name her after her? Rachael. With an 'a' in there."  
_

_"I love it," Alex said, smiling. "Rachael Ryder." _

**Here's chapter twelve. It's really more of a filler. Gives you some little moments in their lives before the games. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Karina and Alexander are both eighteen, and have been in a relationship for a number of years. What happens when they both get reaped in the 95th Hunger Games? Note: Peeta died in his games, Katniss was the only victor, and there was no rebellion.**

Chapter Thirteen

When I opened my eyes, it was daytime, and I was alone. I had no idea how much time had passed since the last thing I remembered, which had been Blaze leaving. A chair sat beside me where I lay on the bed, where someone had apparently been keeping watch. As I slowly sat up, I heard a cannon go off. My first thought was one of horror, because I didn't see Alex, but a second later, he came out of another room. He smiled when he saw me, masking the look of pain he had had on his face.

"Are you alright?" I whispered, my voice hoarse from lack of use. He shrugged, sinking into the chair. "How long has it been?"

"Two days," he murmured. "Nobody's died, but I suppose the audience has had enough to watch." He lifted one of his hands, and I saw it was shaking badly. "It's been bad."

"I'm sorry," I said, closing my eyes as a wave of dizziness swept over me. "What happened, after... well... I heard some of it. Blaze isn't with us, she attacked you- She attacked you! Are you hurt?"

"Was, your mother sent me something to heal it with," my husband said. "It's gone down to a scar." He laughed bitterly. "Just another to join the collection."

That day, the two of us sat there, in that room, while I recovered. Alex had gotten enough food to last us another night, but in the morning we'd have to go out for more or we would starve. If we lived long enough to starve, that is. Counting in my head, I realized there were only eight of us left. They would be interviewing our families at home. Briefly I thought of my father, and what he would think of my pregnancy. My pregnancy...

Was I still pregnant? I had no idea what kind of poison Blaze had used to keep me comatose for two days, but would it have damaged the life growing inside of me? I kept this fear to myself, I didn't want to worry Alex any more than he already was. I could see, even if he was trying his best to hide it from me, the pain and misery in his eyes.

That night, the anthem played and they showed the picture of the boy from three. I shuddered, thinking how easily that could have been Alex, how easy it could be for either one of us to show up in the sky over the next few days. I curled up to him that night on the small bed, wrapped in his arms. If I closed my eyes, we could almost be back home, in our own bed, with Rachael asleep not that far away.

I drifted to sleep slowly, almost afraid to go completely under. I had been out for two days, and Alex had had to suffer alone. After I made him promise to wake me up if he needed me, I fell asleep.

I was jerked awake in the middle of the night. For a second, I tried to figure out what had woken me, and then I saw the shadow in the corner of the room. Alex lay beside me, trembling even in his sleep.

Trying not to wake him up, I slowly got out of bed, facing the person in the room. He stepped out of the shadow, and I recognized Wren instantly. He was Blaze's district partner. I narrowed my eyes, drawing a knife from my belt. He said nothing, pulling out his own knife. "Where is she?"

"Close by," he said, knowing who I was talking about. "She sent me ahead. You weren't supposed to see me. Her plan was just to slit your throats in your sleep."

"But where's the fun in that?" I said. "Seems a bit cowardly if you ask me. She afraid of us?"

A scoff came from the door, and Blaze entered. "As if. I just thought it would be easier this way, and your screaming wouldn't draw anyone else out here." She nodded towards the bed. Alex was still asleep. "He's having a bad time, isn't he? He could use this, couldn't he?" She asked, pulling something out of a pocket. I recognized the pill bottle Haymitch had sent. Angry, I took a step forward, freezing when Blaze shifted the bow so the arrow would hit Alex. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Why?" I whispered. "Your aunt and my mother were friends. Your aunt was Rue, wasn't she?"

"So? That doesn't mean I'm going to die like she did. She was pathetic. I'm going to live, and I'm going to go home. If that means I have to make your baby an orphan, so be it!"

I let out a shriek of surprise as Wren appeared behind me suddenly, pinning my arms behind my back and snatching the knife out of my hand, tossing it onto the floor. My shriek woke Alex up. He sat up in bed, confused, before his eyes focused and he realized what was happening. I felt my heart sink. I had no idea how we would get out of this one.

**Wow... So sorry guys. I didn't forget about this story, I promise. But I've had a lot on my plate. I'm trying to get a job so my fiance and I can get an apartment before the new year, and it's not easy. I also no longer have my own computer, so I have to use other people's, which makes it hard to write and update, since everything on this story is online. Sorry! But I'm going to try to write more. I hope you enjoyed this new chapter, even if it's a little short. **


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